Reviewing the Lunaverse: Part 3 (Stories 7, 10-11, Webisode 3, Movies/Tie-In 1) WARNING: BOAST BUSTED INSIDE · 5:27am Nov 5th, 2012
Alright, let’s get this started! BTW, last chance to flee…
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Story 7: Boast Busted
Written By: RainbowDoubleDash
SYNOPSIS:
While performing a free show, Trixie is called out by a mysterious newcomer, Twilight Sparkle, whose magical abilities far eclipse her own. Twilight wants to learn from the Bearer of the Element of Magic herself, but when she learns just who that is, she goes to great lengths to prove her worth and/or superiority…
REVIEW:
If you have ever read any of my prior comments on the Lunaverse, you know how I feel about this story. If you haven’t, then let’s get diving in.
This was the very first story ever written for the Lunaverse, thus making it technically the official pilot. The basic setup is a role reversal of “Boast Busters,” that wonderfully contentious episode where Trixie was first introduced to us all. Fortunately, the story avoids a Fix Fic stance by keeping things more than a little gray. Twilight gets dumped all over (to put it lightly), but Trixie is shown to be partially to blame, pulling a major flankhole move early on and kicking off the main thrust of the story. Both characters get a chance to work together to stop the Ursa Minor (albeit after Twilight hauls it in to begin with), and the ending actually tries for reconciliation, whereas the original leaves Trixie running off to who-knows-where.
That being said, RDD’s interpretation of Twilight will have a major impact on how much you’ll like this story. And as far as I’m concerned, she utterly wrecks this story. L!Twilight is basically stuck in permanent crazy mode, only even worse. We’re probably supposed to feel pity for her (one scene in particular tries to build up that she’s what Trixie would be if she didn’t have friends), but she’s presented as being so utterly out-of-touch and anti-social that it comes less as exaggeration and more assassination. And on that end, let’s let the discussion die in peace.
The ending is also…a bit of a sore spot for me. I hated the ending from “Boast Busters” to begin with; it came off as horribly mean-spirited when compared to what Trixie was actually guilty of. So here, things would turn out differently, right? Except no, they don’t. Twilight gets offered friendship, only to reject it because, you know, that would actually be an improvement over the source material. She’s now on the run from the law, leaving Trixie feeling like an utter failure as a friend. Meanwhile, in a chapter added after “A Canterlot Wedding” aired, Shining Armor finds out what happened, and is ordered to report anything if he hears from her. So just like Trixie, she’s homeless, friendless, and helpless…and totally deserves it because she’s a crazy pony who drops Ursas on villages out of spite. And it doesn’t get any better for her after that, at least so far.
OVERALL RATING (TECHNICAL): Good
OVERALL RATING (PERSONAL): Awful
As much as I utterly despise this story, it’s still pretty well-written. RDD honestly seemed to be striving for the right balance between simply inverting events and showcasing the vast possibilities inherent in the Lunaverse. On that level, I do recommend this one. On a personal level, however, reading this again was just getting my teeth worked over by a jackhammer. I never want to so much as see it again.
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Webisode 3: Boast Busted: The Lost Tales
Written By: Emeral Bookwise
SYNOPSIS:
While on her way to spread death and misery throughout the land, Twilight Sparkle comes across a trio of water-dwelling pony-like monsters with a craving for her flesh. Unfortunately for them, they just landed a bookworm…
REVIEW:
The premise here is that Twilight (while journeying to find the Ursa Minor) comes across the Sirens, a trio of flesh-eating seaponies the L6 encountered back in LNLD. In essence, it’s just one prolonged conversation, ending with Twilight raging over her books being called wrong and anticlimactically teleporting to the other side of the river. The Sirens are entertaining enough in their own right, and their debate with Twilight over what species they are and why they’re all the way in Equestria to begin with is fairly humorous. Twi raging over her books being called wrong is pushing it, but compared to what RDD already did to her, it’s small potatoes.
OVERALL RATING: Okay/Good
It’s a light read, and if you’re going to look at “Boast Busted,” you might as well read this one as well. It’s just rather fun either way.
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Story 10: Carrot Top of the Line
Written By: Fizzy Orange
SYNOPSIS:
Angel Bunny has been stealing carrots from Carrot Top’s fields, and she’s had enough of it. Fluttershy, however, is far too nervous to talk to her, and Rainbow Dash keeps using her doormat status to prevent her from even trying to figure out what’s going on. Can Carrot Top pony up and discover the truth before that rabbit runs off with her entire product?
REVIEW:
“Carrot Top of the Line” is a bit of an oddity in the Lunaverse canon. While the main character is ostensively Carrot Top, most of the story revolves around the backstories of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. To keep it short, Fluttershy’s family is extremely wealthy and politically connected, and her father blackmails Rainbow Dash into accepting a job she’s woefully unqualified for so she can play babysitter to her for the rest of her life. While the story very quickly backpedals from the darker implications of the arrangement, it’s still a rather depressing lot for the both of them. As for Fluttershy…well, let’s just say this story ends well for her and Carrot Top.
Speaking of our heroine, this is her first starring role in the universe, and the one that officially made her my favorite member of the L6. She’s basically played out as a combination of Applejack’s hard working spirit, Fluttershy’s doormat personality, and Rarity’s Generosity stretched out to an amazing degree. It’s just a shame that she kind of gets choked out in her first real story by the other stuff going on.
Oh, and Rarity’s in this too, now sporting her own Lunaversified personality traits. Rather than just being a hammy pony, she’s a manipulator who uses supposed generosity to persuade ponies to do her bidding. I would complain, but then “Tales of Ponyville” came along and showed me what a really bad Rarity looks like.
OVERALL RATING: Good
If you want to see the Lunaversified M6 in a more positive light, this is the story for you. It manages to hit just the right buttons throughout. Definitely worth a read.
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Story 11: Musicians and Dreamers
Written By: Grass&Clouds2
SYNOPSIS:
Octavia, Lyra’s mentor from her school days, arrives in Ponyville with an offer for her to join the Song Cycle Extravaganza. Trixie, however, pegs her as an agent for Duke Greengrass, but Lyra won’t have any of that nonsense. Can Trixie prove what’s really going on without ruining her friendship?
REVIEW:
“Musicians and Dreamers” is a story about Lyra, but also about Trixie. Lyra is practically a prize to be fought over, foreshadowing the status the other Bearers will play with the Night Court’s antics. Even before the truth comes out (and to be honest, I was rather disappointed with Octavia being an antagonist the whole time), Trixie is absolutely hysterical about every twisted scheme her benefactor could be dreaming up. Octavia is just played as a good friend until she doesn’t think anypony is listening, at which point she makes the classic villain blunder of spilling her entire plan while the pony she’s “saving” is within earshot. The point is, this story is a very effective character piece, exploring the various angles of the three main players and showcasing their strengths and weaknesses.
I also love this interpretation of Octavia. Gone are the endless ships with Vinyl Scratch and playing the classy pony in screwball comedy. Instead, she’s a very classy, poised pony who wants what she thinks is best for a good friend, even if this would play into a noblepony’s grubby little hooves. The ending, discounting her other appearances throughout the season, is quite tragic in this regard; much like “Griffon the Brush-Off,” this is a story of a friendship ending. Lyra isn’t judgmental or vengeful, but she still doesn’t want to see her again by the time things conclude.
Trixie is a bit of a weak spot, if only because the story bends over backwards to prove her (frankly insane) rantings right. The mock trial scene towards the end is also a bit of a sore; it honestly doesn’t even feel like it belongs in the rest of the story.
But the best/worst thing this story does is introduce Greengrass. Originally intended as a one-shot baddie to expand the Court, he quickly became the Big Bad of the entire season, to the point where plans were being drawn to bring him back even after his planned downfall. To put it simply, I don’t care for Greengrass, but your own approval of him might vary. I’ll go into this in more detail down the line.
OVERALL RATING: Good
This is a very solid story, and one that I highly recommend for those looking for some good characterization and drama. This version of Octavia is great, with a number of different angles and character traits that will be explored later on. Duke Greengrass’ introduction aside, this is definitely one worth picking up.
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Movies/Tie-Ins 1: An Early Reunion
Written By: RainbowDoubleDash
SYNOPSIS:
Approximately 980 years before the present day, Equestria is still struggling to rebuild itself after Corona’s mad rampage. In the midst of this dark time, a mare from Cavallia arrives, bearing both wings and a horn and claiming to be Celestia reincarnated. Can this be true? And if not, then where did she come from? The answers lie in the worst day of Luna’s life…
REVIEW:
“An Early Reunion” is the Lunaverse backstory for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Princess Cadance if you’re nasty), although she spends most of the story being called Celestia. The actual setting, however, is a nearly post-apocalyptic version of Equestria, with everypony utterly paranoid, Canterlot in ruins, and Luna still recovering from a lengthy drinking binge. Cadance is thrusted into this world of danger and intrigue, desperate to prove that she is a reincarnated Celestia and free from her prior life’s misdeeds.
Much of the story follows that vein. Luna is awash in fake Celestias, and wants nothing more to do with another imposter. Cadance just wants to assume what she thinks is her rightful position, despite her inexperience and lack of corroborating evidence. Thus, Luna guides her through a series of tests to not only measure her power, but also her character. And of course, having another Alicorn there helps her overcome her own sorrow and guilt. The ending is also beautiful, showing the beginnings of her relationship with Shining Armor, continuing the “It’s Twilight’s fault she’s a psycho” story thread, and finally ending with no small measure of hope and joy.
However, there is one…kinda major problem I have with this one. This story not only reveals why Celestia went insane in the first place, but also gives another interpretation for why Cadance is an Alicorn, and all in the same scene. And boy, is it a doozy of a scene. We get official confirmation that yes, Celestia went insane without any sort of outside influence, while Luna had to get powered up on darkness and all that crap in the baseline. Oh, and back in the actual universe, Celestia was just about to become a power-hungry tyrant, but stopped because of some crap involving ponies getting close to her and Luna going evil first. I was actually happier not knowing, thank you very much. And how does Cadance fit into this? I’ll leave that up to you to discover, but let’s just say that it makes no sense whatsoever with what I saw in “A Canterlot Wedding.”
OVERALL RATING: Good/Excellent
My issues with the above aside, this is still a pretty touching story. It’s a very long read, but it never feels like it’s dragging its heels. Cadance is very well-realized, and the ending is just fantastic. Overall, it’s definitely worth reading as long as you can get past…that.
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NEXT TIME:
* Octavia starts her personal journey towards redemption
* Scootaloo…does…stuff…
* Ditzy gets an offer she can’t refuse
* Carrot Top faces off against Applejack
SEE YOU THEN!
i.imgur.com/WBabo.png Merp!i.imgur.com/WBabo.png
.....why does Scootaloo doing stuff in your next time thingy fill me with dread?
Part 3? Where's part 2?
475847
Right here.
Ah, yes. Next time is the L6 up against the Manehattan mafia and the Apple Trust juggernaut, not to mention the Scootiara power hour (TM someone). That'll be an interesting review. :-D
I really liked reading your in-depth review of M&D. You've given me some good food for thought. (And yeah, looking back on it, the trial could have perhaps been done a little differently. I think there did need to be some kind of 'defeat' of Octy after her inadvertent confession, but the trial went on for a bit too long. Ah well. Live and learn).
I would contend that Trixie's rantings aren't insane; unlike Lyra, she did deal with politics, and so presumably knows something worthwhile about our favorite gardener, and Lyra should have perhaps been more willing to listen. But I probably could have justified that a little more. (I was thinking of maybe putting in a scene indicating that they had a history, but I decided against it).
And yeah, no Octy/Scratch shipping here. I'm not a fan of gratitiuous shipping, and there would have been no place for pairing Octy up with anyone in the story. (Married to her music, that one). Besides, I'm personally not a huge fan of the couple.
Btw, dunno if you know this, but a large part of that 'what species are you' scene in The Lost Tales is a reference to Dinky and the Blanks, the L-verse's first fanfic. It's a retelling of Story of the Blanks in the L-verse, and Gray Hoof and his evil compatriots are kelpies instead of zombies. Hence the sirens being all, 'we can't be kelpies, they're these sticky-skinned monsters that live on land!'
Another round of those? You're impressive!
475826 Because she overshadowed Cheerilee?
475892
it's not that. It's the ellipses that worry me......
475897 Don't worry!
I'm also a bit stunned by how fast you are at these. You've finished 13 and only have eight stories left to go (the four you listed for next time, and then GG's Night, Symphony, Foalish Misadventures, and Clan Drops) unless you also count the non-canon fanfics (of which 2 are completed). Nice going!
...wait, that means your last update is going to me almost entirely me (except for Clan Drops, they're all my stories). I'm looking forward to it with eagerness! And trepidation. :-)
...actually, never mind, Tales of Ponyville just finished. :-) Woo!
All right let’s see what’s goin on in this review:
Ok first point Twilight’s magical skills don’t exactly outstrip Trixie they are both very skilled/talented/ETC in their respective areas.
Beyond that I don’t entirely disagree with you on the matter of Boast busted, plus I can’t really see a reason for Twilight to have her own mini arc when her story could have been wrapped up fairly easily, then again so could Trixie’s and all that’s largely irrelevant anyway. Though I will say that Twilight didn’t mean any harm with the ursa and was more in possession of suicidal overconfidence than anything else.
Still I remember the original debates about “crazy Twilight” and the like and I doubt anyone wants to start those again.
I felt like the summary/description of “Carrot Top of the Line” was a little, unbalanced and not terribly neutral… still again this is your thing so not my right to complain so again sorry.
I will say there was some in universe explanation for Octavia’s “villain blunder” as the current description makes it sound more like villainous laughter/mad speech, as opposed to anger/indignation building up with frustration and guilt.
I kinda pretty much agree with you on the mock trial, but I have to disagree with the Trixie matter.
I agree with you on greengrass
Don’t really get this bit sorry.
There is some evidence for Cadence’s belief, on average kid don’t suddenly sprout horns and wings in puberty and she was kind of raised for the job so she’s not technically lacking qualification sans not actually being Celestia.
To be fair we’ve only seen a small amount of Shining armor who’s a decent few years older than Twilight and went through (most likely) strict military training he might be just as crazy
I’m very sorry I couldn’t resist.
Plus two children in the same environment form the same parents can still be extremely different Simpy by their in born nature, allot of Twilight problems can be traced back to a OCD something she is shown having in canon, that ehr sibling has no real reason to have.
Well the matter of Luan and Celestia and their motives ETC is a matter of personal opinion so not much to say on that.
and I’m not really sure how it goes against anything established in Canterlot wedding seeing as we learned next to nothing about Cadence and we already know Alicorns can mess with their bodies/appearances.
I have to admit that I have a similar opinion as IAH about the end of Boast Busted, though it probably doesn’t help that Twilight is my personal best pony so seeing her characterized as she was wasn't exactly pleasant. But RDD recently commented in another story that she would be getting her own happy ending eventually, so I'm going to hope that that holds true. I was pretty entertained by The Lost Tales, however, so insane Twi isn't a total character loss for me.
Carrot Top of the Line is one I rather liked, once I actually remember I read it. Not sure why it keeps slipping my mind (probably has to do with the sheer amount of pony fic I read), but still, mildly embarrassing.
Musicians and Dreamers I will definitely have to read, just faved it so I should get to it some time this week. Looks like there are at least two in the Octavia storyline I haven't read based on what reviews are coming up next, so I will be on the lookout for that one as well.
An Early Reunion I really, really liked, just about the entire thing worked wonderfully for me, even (especially!) the brief mention of Twilight at the end. That said... I'm not sure it was the best of ideas to establish a full on backstory for Cadance before waiting to see if the show does anything different for her. I'd swear that she looked like a younger pony in her foalsitting flashbacks with Twilight in the season finale, so making her out to be a full thousand years old feels a little questionable to me. That said, this is AU, so I don't think it's that huge of a problem.
476230: The other big Octavia story is 'Symphony for Moon and Sun'. She's also in the webisode 'A Canterlot Morning.'
476230
To be absolutely fair, the precedent the show set with Luna was that we'd only see Cadance maybe once...Luna (and Trixie) should have been all over Season 2 given how popular they were with the fandom. So I didn't expect Season 3 to come along and be "oh, yeah, we're actually going to develop characters we've introduced!" I expected at best Cadance to show up for one episode with, I dunno, marriage troubles.
476477
I know the feeling. So much worldbuilding is about to die...
476477
Um I think you responded to the wrong person there boss
476482
Oops...
476479
Ah, the eternal plight of the fanfic writer...
Woah... hold it right there; Rainbow Dash is still every bit the talented weather mare she is on the show, so she's still perfectly qualified for the job. The big difference here is that because she was given the job without having to prove her abilities first she's got some insecurity hang ups about whether or not she's worthy. Also, Fluttershy's dad used pretty mild black mail, amounting to little more than do this job or I'll find someone else to do it, playing mostly off Dash's own guilt if she didn't agree to look after her friends.
475881
I wouldn't call it a large reference to D&tB, more like a brief aside. I was already writing Lost Tales before I even knew who you were, let alone that you had your own interpretation of Kelpies that you were working on. I pretty much just decided to include it as token nod to a fellow author, though it almost got cut since as I recall we had our first 'fight' (even if it was just me explaining why I couldn't bring myself to finish D&tB) shortly before I published, and I was a little afraid it might come off as dismissive or patronizing in that aftermath.
476031
For G&C2 to complement someone on their writing speed is an impressive accomplishment.
476230
I hesitate to get into this argument, but while Twilight's behavior is a bit extreme it's not all that out of character. This is the same girl who in the actual show declared "If I can't find a friendship problem; I'll make a friendship problem!" and then proceeded to arguably assault and mind rape three little fillies with a spell that quickly got out of hand resulting a sizable percentage of the town getting into a full on brawl. Ii a later episode she would go on to break into the royal archives to steel a time freezing spell so she could halt an impending disaster (gee Twi that kind of magic sounds like it could cause the very problem you're trying to prevent).
Point being, that even her better self has proved perfectly will to cause problems in order to fix problems; the girl is smart, but still clearly not firing with all her pistons. Also I don't think best pony status should have anything to do with it; she's my #3 (almost ties for Pinkies #2 spot). More importantly, my unimpeachable #1 is Rarity, and I was the one making the biggest campaign that CTotL was insufficiently flanderizing in its first draft, and so basically pressured Fizzy to come up with the favor trader angle for her. I did it because I like the premise that the L!M6 are misguided parallels to the ponies we see on the show and I couldn't bear to see my lady left out of the fun.
476477 476479
A month ago I'd have likely agreed with that sentiment, but after the 8 min preview of the S3 premier, it's looking like the Crystal Empire has little if anything to do with Cadance's backstory, and that it's the events of the episode itself that will cause her to become it's ruler.
476479>>476477>>476526 Meh, who cares if canon isn't the same? We're doing AU's here. If my own G1/G4 story doesn't line up with history given in season three, I am not going to rewrite it. It's an AU. So is the Lunaverse.
476555
Where doing AU yes, but ostensibly the only major difference is a Luna/Celestia role reversal; everything else is a consequence of that, so we should strive to be at least roughly coherent to the history of the source material.
476526
Yes, she's qualified as a weather pony. But a manager requires an entirely different skill set than a regular worker. She has to have interpersonal skills, be forceful but diplomatic, know the ins and outs of the business, get all the paperwork done on time, and all that nonsense. And as we've seen throughout, she's lazy, undisciplined, narcissistic, petty, occasionally cruel, and downright jerkass to anypony who isn't Fluttershy and/or rubs her the wrong way even slightly. So yeah, I'm not seeing the qualifications here.
We've been having this argument since day one, and so far nobody's made any headway. I don't see Twilight as being anywhere near this insane in the canon, especially if you include the whole thing and not just those two episodes. And even then, everything was about her failing Celestia, thereby implying that the reason she's so neurotic in the first place is because she was Celestia's personal student. No Celestia, no personal student, no more lunacy. She'd still have socialization issues, but BB portrayed her as always being a step away from Lesson Zero mode.
A couple things here:
1. That premise alone does not justify utterly twisting the cast into complete caricatures. If not balanced properly, it gives the impression that the M6 are getting distorted and pushed down so the new heroes could come off as being better. That was a significant part of the problem with their portrayal in LNLD and why things have been backpedaling away from that since.
2. Your advice led to Rarity's scene in "Tales of Ponyville," and while you may have found that amusing, I didn't. I really didn't.
3. Rarity isn't the one who lost everything, is now a hunted criminal, and is building an army of damaged ponies because she's too insane to see what's clearly in front of her. Rarity might be funny to you, but she's barely gotten love tapped by the Lunaverse. Twilight got stomped on.
476031
Can't wait to review that one.
476664
Other than making a special exception for Fluttershy, pretty much all the same things could be said of M!Dash as well (if to a lesser extent), and she's also the Ponyville weather captain.
There was no specific disappointing the princess motif in It's About Time, and Twilight still went kooky with deranged paranoia that she and she alone was responsible for saving all of Equestria form some unspecified disaster. You might not like that aspect of her character, but I think it's time to just except that even the show supports it's as a perfectly valid interpretation of who she is.
Also, I find the idea of blaming Twilight's issues on Celestia to be a tad disturbing, especially coming from the guy who normal denounces stuff that paints the sun princess in such a poor light. I mean sure it's a far cry from being some evil tyrant, but you're basically saying she's a bad mentor and that Twilight would be better off without her. I'd much rather choose to believe that Celestia has been a moderating influence on Twilights neurosis, and thus the Lunaverse becomes an accurate portrayal of what Twilight might have been like without such guidance.
Twilight is still awfully high on my list, and even if Rarity is my favorite I know I've got basically nothing in common with her. Rather it's Twilight that I most associate myself with (or at least when mixed with roughly equal parts Pinkie).
476526 I mentioned best pony status merely to establish my bias, not as any other point.
However... in my opinion Lesson Zero isn't the best example you could be using here, as it actually highlights my primary problem with her characterization. She still is a tad too insane in Boast Busted if you ask me, but what really grinds my gears is how she runs away at the end. Yes, she goes all wonky in Lesson Zero too, but she also reports to the library as ordered to receive her punishment, even when she has convinced herself that said punishment will be the complete destruction of her life in Ponyville. That's where the fic really falls down for me in terms of taking her too far away from canon.
That said, the establishment of her family backstory in the Lunaverse has helped a lot in my view. I still am not 100% happy that Shining Armor's little sister would be that willing to run out on her crimes as opposed to taking responsibility for them, the family shame aspect helps a little. Not that there isn't potentially more shame from the running away, but still, at least it's something.
477007
There is a big difference between going to face the judgment of a singular authority figure that you know and respect -vs- going to face the judgment of an angry mob of strangers. By bringing the ursa to Ponyvile, Twilight had endangered lives and welfare of the entire townsfolk; I can hardly blame her for getting scarred and running away rather than face a potential lynching. Sure Trixie said she would protect her, but Twilight really had no reason to trust Trixie. Besides, the point comes down to the fact that this is part of what make L!Twilight worse off than her M! counterpart; they both make mistakes, but only the latter has the courage to fess up to them and face the consequences.
476724
Answering this from my phone, so I'll be brief.
I never said I thought Twilight was better without Celestia.
I'm done with this conversation. See you in the next review assuming this wonderful discussion hasn't killed my enthusiasm like I knew it would.
477191
Sorry, it was not my intent to offend or discourage you in anyway...
477208
And I should never have brought it up in the first place. Everyone already knows how I feel about L!Twilight, everyone knows how I feel about "Boast Busted," there was no need to even discuss it at all. But after nobody went screaming for my head after LNLD, I honestly thought it was safe to put up an honest, fair review of the story as I saw it. Apparently, I was wrong.
I'm just...tired of this discussion. Tired of getting into fights every time Twilight gets brought up. Tired of just wanting her to have a legitimate, non-pitiable trait I could hold on to and say that it isn't as bad as it's been shown. But I'll never get that. All we have are a story that was abandoned before anything could happen, one where she's even worse than before and dragging other ponies down with her, and finally a non-canon PG-13 fanfiction. We have a promise of a happy ending somewhere down the line, but until it's fulfilled, all we can do is look at the present. And she is a pony who would gladly endanger an entire town just to prove herself right, who would build up an army to strike down the pony who offered to help her.
That is the Lunaverse Twilight. That is the pony I hate. And that is why I am done with this discussion.
477683
Ouch... I mean, yeah I'm still sorry, but I wasn't even trying to drag you into this discussion again. We've been down that road before and I know it's a sore spot. Initially I was just addressing someone else's concerns; I guess doing it here on your blog was a bad choice, so again sorry about that.
Still, wow... I thought this maybe wasn't such a touchy issue anymore and that a fair chunk of your complaints were more habitual than anything else by this point. Guess I was wrong about that.
477683: For what it's worth, I appreciate that your reviews are honest and fair. They mean a lot more than if you were trying to just massage everyone's egos.
477746
Don't worry about it. At the very least, none of the other Twilight stories will be reviewed, so we'll never have to talk about her again.
477876
Is that a commentary on their likely hood of completion or that you're only doing this review thing once? If the latter that's fine, but if the former I find the attitude overly pessimistic. I know for a fact that A Chance Encounter has at least one more chapter up coming (seeing as I've pre-read it). I also haven't given up on mine; Ch6 is basically done and Ch7 is fully mapped out, it's just Ch5 that is being a big pain in my flank.
I am however looking at taking something of your advise and maybe setting that fic aside to write some other stuff for a bit while I figure my way around that block. It's something I've been hesitant to do as I always feel guilty working on other things while I know I've got readers waiting for an update, but this hiatus is doing no one any favors. I've already got Ch1 of a new fic done; I'd just like to get a better handle on Ch2 (which is actually about half done maybe) before I commit to publishing it. Currently shooting for this Thursday maybe.
477934
It was a poor choice of words. It's more accurate to say that they aren't on the docket just yet because they're still unfinished. I'm purposely limiting myself to only the completed stories.
477951
Oh, I knew that much; it was just the whole "NEVER" thing that had me... worried... perturbed... I don't know, something like that though.
477951 478016 For what it's worth, I'd like to apologize for opening up that can of worms. I should have known it probably wouldn't go well, and I feel somewhat bad for re-opening old wounds.
I can't wait to read some of these. Though I should be in bed now, I hope Tia doesn't catch me up.
477683
To be honest, I'm a little tired of the discussion too, hence why I kept my comments here to a minimum. I've agreed to disagree at this point.
Oh, except to note that "somewhere down the line" is only 2 fics away, "Crisis on Two Equestrias." And before that, you get to see the end of the Greengrass arc with "Gala!" So hopefully an awful lot of catharsis is coming up for you. And me.
(Well...technically we're three fics away from "Crisis," but only becasue "Countdown to Crisis" is in the way, and "Countdown" is going to be short, is entirely from L!Twilight's perspective, and really just serves as a prologue to "Crisis.")
478270: Catharsis for you as well? *is confused*
Is Crisis going to be in the continuity of the L-verse, or a soft-canon kind of thing?
478313
"Crisis" is going to be 100% canon. It's just in the "Moves & Tie-Ins" section because it's, well, sort of "The Movie" for the Lunaverse.
"Catharsis" in the form of finally wrapping up a lot of dangling plot threads.
478270
Well, thanks for helping me look like an asshole. Lord knows I wasn't doing a perfect enough job myself.
Oh, and I can't wait for Crisis. That promises to be outstanding.
As for the next set of reviews, they may be done tonight or they might not. Unfortunately, I haven't read "A Hard Bargain" up to this point, and it's a tad on the lengthy side...not to mention having to plow through "Carrot Top Season" again to make sure I didn't miss anything.
478328: Ah.
I'm a little leery of introducing the idea of the multiverse into canon, since it would seem to open up a whole host of plot issues, but you've written a lot of great stories, so I'll trust you and see where this goes. :-)
478338
Wh-
What'd I do to make you look like an asshole?! I didn't mean to...I'm sorry...
478348
Sorry. Bad joke.
But yeah, I'm done with this discussion. Hopefully the next set of reviews won't have the same kind of debate going on...
Wait, it has "Carrot Top Season" in it. This is going to end badly, I just know it.
478355: Eh, no sweat. I'm pretty laid back about that sort of thing.
I mean, I still disagree with you about it, but I know you feel different and I'm not going to call you names or hound you or, I dunno, summon ancient spirits to torment you, or anything like that. :-D
478355
Dude, this is what I wanted you to stay with the Lunaverse for: we need reviews like this, in-depth reviews from someone with legitimate complaints with the universe but who will, more importantly, stick around to make sure that we get to fixing the problems.
Note the emphasis on sticks around.
STICKS. AROUND.
I will Internet stalk you if you flee again. Even if you try and flee to another website.
478338: Also, btw, if you look at the comments in 'Hard Bargain' you'll see that the second-to-last chapter underwent a big revision (from the worldbuilding standpoint) after it went up. Dunno if you're interested in such things, but if you are, I can PM a quick summary of the changes.
478397
I actually heard about that on the forum, but a PM would be helpful. At the very least, it's worth pointing out how the story was changed.
478401: Sent you a PM.
I love the lunaverse Octavia : 3 she's honestly my favourite side character in this universe, largely due to how formidable she is with just having really, really good hearing.
as for Twilight....I'd say that without someone like canon Celestia to teach her better, Twilight put her ehad in her studies even more than canon, and came to see only what was written in her books and magic itself as being correct, and anything disproving that or making light of her hard work MUST be wrong. Fortunately, she's gotten better after seeing first hand how wrong she was (though as to why what made her rethink things simply didn't make her think she was MORE right is another matter).
Then again, I seem to be far more forgiving of stories that aren't mind numbingly awful.